1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drying devices and in particular to a portable drying device for footwear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of prior art footwear drying devices exist. Of these kinds there are easily portable footwear drying devices and devices which are not intended to be easily transported or to be easily stored in a relatively small space. A further consideration which also distinguishes these prior art devices from one another are their relative costs to manufacture, the bulky and less portable dryers usually being the most expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,788 to Kuntz illustrates a bulky and relatively expensive type of boot and glove drying apparatus which is intended for drying a relatively large number of items and not intended to be easily moved. The Kuntz drying apparatus uses a relatively high power heating means specially adapted for use with the drying apparatus and which is integrated into the drying apparatus.
A smaller, more portable, shoe drying apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,765 to Miyamae. The Miyamae drying apparatus connects a vent, having a plurality of holes, via a flexible tube to a heater unit. The vent is then inserted into a shoe. The heater unit is designed specifically for the Miyamae shoe dryer device, and thus, the cost of the Miyamae device to the consumer includes the price of the specially adapted heater unit. Transporting the Miyamae shoe drying device requires transporting a relatively bulky heating unit whose only function is to dry shoes.
A drying device which uses heated air produced by an existing source, allowing the drying device to be purchased without purchasing a dedicated heating unit, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,078 to McCartney. This drying device, however, is relatively bulky and cannot be stored in a small space or be easily transported. The vent portion of the Miyamae drying device consists of a plurality of relatively non-flexible hollow protrusions extending out of a main body, each protrusions being provided with a plurality of holes to allow a flow of heated air to enter the article of footwear placed over the protrusion. McCartney suggests using as a heating unit for his drying device a floor mounted heating outlet of a domestic hot air heating system, a hair dryer, or similar source of hot air. It must be assumed that the hair dryer to which Miyamae refers is of the relatively bulky type which is typically placed on a table and includes a flexible hose connected to a plastic cap worn over a person's head. McCartney does not further describe or show an embodiment of this type of drying device which may be used with a hair dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,009 to Ketchum describes a more portable type of footwear drying device which is specifically adapted for use with an existing hair dryer. The hair dryer described in Ketchum is of the type which is typically placed on a table and includes a flexible hose for injecting heated air into a plastic cap. The drying device consists of a non-flexible tubing formed in a U-shape and is connected to the flexible hose of the hair dryer. Vent holes are formed in the two legs of the U-shaped tubing so that gloves or boots placed on the ends of the U-shaped tubing will be dried from the inside. The U-shaped tubing is supported on a swivel-type base so that it is oriented vertically. Thus, the Ketchum device provides the highest portability of the previously discussed prior art devices and may be purchased separately from the standard hair dryer heating unit. One of the drawbacks to the Ketchum device, however, is that the non-flexible U-shaped tubing does not conform to the bends of a shoe or a boot and, therefore, the distribution of heat within the shoe is not evenly distributed. Further, the non-flexible tubing cannot be further bent to fit into a luggage or other relatively small space. Another drawback to the Ketchum device is that it requires a relatively bulky hair dryer of the type which is rarely used and owned by the public.
Each of the above-described prior art devices possesses drawbacks regarding portability and cost. Additionally, with the popularity of the hand-held blow dryer, the hair dryer used as the heating unit in the Ketchum and McCartney hair drying devices has been made obsolete. Therefore, the Ketchum and McCartney footwear drying attachments are also obsolete.